IPOH: Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah and Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim on Monday (Aug 31) graced the Perak-level National Day 2026 Awards Presentation Ceremony at Dewan Bandaran Ipoh here.
Their Royal Highnesses were accompanied by Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, State Secretary Datuk Ahmad Suaidi Abdul Rahim and members of the State Executive Council.
Also in attendance were Raja Muda of Perak Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa and Raja DiHilir of Perak Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Sultan Idris Shah.
Sultan Nazrin presented contributions to 11 national heroes in recognition of their service and sacrifices in defending the country's security and sovereignty.
Each recipient received RM1,000 in cash and a certificate of appreciation during the presentation ceremony.
The recipients comprised six Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) personnel, two Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) personnel and three Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) personnel who sustained injuries or disabilities while carrying out their duties and operations.
Among them was Warrant Officer 2 Mohamad Razali Din, who stepped on a landmine during Operation Naga in Banding, resulting in the loss of his left leg below the knee.
Warrant Officer 2 Megat Abdullah Megat Othman, meanwhile, successfully eliminated three communist terrorists during Operation Batu Kawah in Sri Aman and was presented with a commando knife and certificate of appreciation.
Other MAF recipients were Staff Sergeant Idris Ismail, Corporal Mokhtar Sulaiman, Lance Corporal Khairul Anuar Abdul Hamid and Lance Corporal Alias Abd Wahab.
The police recipients were retired Sub-Inspector Omar Jayus and retired Sergeant Major Abdul Malek Nordin, while the Navy recipients were retired First Admiral Mohamad Imran Abd Hamid, retired Commander Mohd Akhbar Mohd Yusof and retired Warrant Officer 2 Ahmad Safwi Shaari.
Sultan Nazrin also presented prizes to winners in several categories in conjunction with National Day 2026, including the National Month parade and beautification competition.
Meanwhile, Saarani, in his address, said Malaysia had never been built by a homogenous society, but by a diverse one that had chosen to live together.
"Our challenge is to ensure that our differences never prevent us from continuing to stand as one nation.
"We stand beneath the same Jalur Gemilang. We uphold the same Constitution. The Malay language, as the National Language, connects us, while the institution of the Malay Rulers continues to serve as a shield for all Malaysians," he said.
He said, however, that this sense of togetherness should not be taken for granted, as it began to erode when society saw differences before seeing the person in front of them.
"When a neighbour is no longer seen as a neighbour, and a friend is no longer seen as a friend, but everything begins to be judged based on race, religion or group.
"That is where distance begins to emerge, and as that distance widens, the things that have united us all this while will gradually become blurred and harder to see," he said. - Bernama
